Collisional gyrokinetic full-f particle-in-cell simulations on open field lines with PICLS

Applying gyrokinetic simulations in theoretical turbulence and transport studies for the plasma edge and scrape-off layer (SOL) presents significant challenges. To particularly account for steep density and temperature gradients in the SOL, the “full-f” code PICLS was developed. PICLS is a gyrokinetic particle-in-cell (PIC) code, is based on an electrostatic model with a linearized field equation, and uses kinetic electrons. In previously published results, we applied PICLS to the well-studied 1D parallel transport problem during an edge-localized mode (ELM) in the SOL without collisions. As an extension to this collision-less case and in preparation for 3D simulations, in this work, a collisional model will be introduced. The implemented Lenard–Bernstein collision operator and its Langevin discretization will be shown. Conservation properties of the collision operator, as well as a comparison of the collisional and non-collisional case, will be discussed.